Voters defeat local tax measures

Plumas County voters defeated two local tax measures, while Portola residents selected a new city councilman yesterday.

Kathy Williams, the county’s chief elections official, said that voting and tabulating went smoothly Nov. 6.

“We were the first in the state to report,” she said. Her staff will spend today counting the provisional ballots and the vote-by-mail ballots that were dropped off at polling locations. Final results are expected by the end of the day.

Measure C, the temporary increase to the county’s transient occupancy tax was defeated by 58.87 percent to 41.13 percent. Measure D, a temporary increase to the local sales tax, went down by a greater margin: 63.82 percent to 36.18 percent.

In Portola, where voters could choose from four candidates running for three seats, they elected a newcomer, Michelle Gault, and retired a long-time incumbent, William Weaver.

Phil Oels was the top vote earner with 355 votes, followed by John Larrieu with 351 votes, Michelle Gault with 349 votes and William Weaver with 271. Those numbers may change slightly when the remaining ballots are counted today.

Bill Howe and David Slusher Jr. were elected to the Seneca Healthcare District, with 1,259 and 944 votes respectively. Ronald Longacre trailed with 761.